Our first hike in the Redwoods NP was to a slot canyon right on the coast. It was a further hike than the sign indicates because the rain had made the road to the trailhead impassable so we walked the last two miles to get to this spot!

You can see here the large, billowy ferns that grow on a wall up to 50 feet high - and the stream only about 20 feet across.

We had to work pretty hard to keep our feet dry - and good boots help a lot. We were told this was impassable by the Information people because of the recent rains but it had dropped enought to be easily accessed. Kept the walk uncrowded, though.

Periodic big storms off the Pacific Ocean drop the big trees on the bluffs above into this stream and create some really neat perches for old birds like the one above.

The last day we took a hike right out of the campground that went up mountain
to a waterfall.


Along the way we saw a black bear and he gave us quite a show.


We four perched on a rock at the top of the trail for lunch and just
'drank in' the soul-lifting view of trees and rocks, sky and water.

This world God made is amazing. We will always remember
Seqouia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Kings Canyon was full of steep canyons and Ava gripping the door arm.

We saw a grove of giant Sequoia - they only grow in the 5000'-7000' zone.

Beautiful waterfalls and really big whitewater roaring out of these canyons.
There had been some rain but most of the water is the melting snow!

Hiking on snow-covered trails was new to the guy in long pants.



Ava and Linda joined us on several hikes and the air smelled like Christmas!











Note the brown Bear Box - a must for tent campers and available for everyone. The Rangers will say its not for the people - if the bears learn they can get food
in camp they must be put down.












Luckily, we only needed the fire for fellowship and 'smores. Joe and Linda have
camped with us for years - some of you will know them from beach camps.

Camping in the high Sierras - 7000' - among giant trees.

Here you see the base - with the fire scar - of the largest living thing on earth, the tree named the General Sherman. (largest by volume, not the tallest) It would take something like ten sperm
whales to equal its mass!


















We need two pictures to get most of it!



















Here we stand around a 'smaller' one Ava and I with Linda Thomas;
these trees have big feet.

Bear with us

We felt especially blessed to see a black bear putting on a show. Of course the Ranger wouldn't let us get too close.

This snow was fun but after the evening John Muir performance (same guy who did the Burn's PBS documentary on NPs as Muir's voice) we had to drive out of the park in a snowfall - three hours of tense driving for Gary AND Ava. We learned that the next morning they held up all traffic for and hour and half while the snowplows cleared the same road. We, on the otherhand, gratefully slept in.














We know this is a long first blog but WiFi is hard to come by - and this is our first try.

Trees - big trees

We walked among trees that were alive when David was King in Jerusalem!

Big trees need big feet.













See if you can find Ava in this picture.